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Angels of Death vs Ib: Which is Better?

First of all, that’s not the sign for pound. It’s actually Ib as in”Ihb” being the name of the female protagonist. The other contender, Angels of Death, is another one of those RPG indie horror games. It was so well liked that it became a manga, and then this past summer, an anime.

About Ib

Your main character is a little girl named you guessed it “Ib” or Eve depending on the translation. She is a nine-year-old girl who’s visiting the Guertena art gallery with her parents. She is a mostly silent protagonist who is very brave. During her trip to the art museum, she finds herself in a twisted version of the gallery where the art wants her dead. Instead of a large haunted house, Ib enters an art gallery. The game begins rather simply, as it’s just a trip to the art gallery with her parents. They said it would be exciting for her. And yes, it will. So exciting that the poor girl is going to need therapy for the rest of her life after this whole ordeal is said and done.

Ib meets a young man named Garry in the twisted art gallery. She rescues him from near imminent demise. You see each of the protagonists has in their possession a rose, except Garry, dropped his in his escape from a monster. When Ib comes across the monster it is tearing out the petals (ie diminishing Garry’s HP) she rescues his rose from the creature. Garry is a kind man who decides to do his best to be brave and help this little girl get out of this fabricated world.

Each has their own colored flower and a major place in the story.

The last of your party members is a little girl named Mary that the party meets about halfway through their trials. Mary has a yellow rose in her possession though she likes Ib’s red rose and Garry’s blue rose more. Oddly enough, the story is quite strong and memorable being that it only really revolves around three people: Ib, Garry, and Mary. You will start to understand these characters and care (or loathe) them throughout the whole of the game, so be ready for an emotional investment.

About Angels of Death

The first protagonist is Rachel Gardner, a 13-year-old girl who wakes up in an unrecognizable place and only supposedly remembers going to a psychologist appointment after she saw people getting murdered. She decides to try to escape the building but for her surprise, each floor has a master that will try to kill her for the simple given reason that she was selected as a sacrifice.

The first floor she’s on is B6, is where she meets Zack, a serial killer who wields a scythe and is covered in bandages.

Later on, Zack breaks the place’s rules by going to the next floor and attacking its master so he too is selected as a sacrifice along with the girl and they have to work together to escape. The two form an odd “friendship” with a promise that Rachel will help Zack escape this place if he will kill her in return.

Each level brings a new killer to them. Cathy, who we met in episode 4-5 so far, has probably one of the most annoying laughs I’ve ever heard. If I thought I wanted to kick Zack earlier at his laughing, he has nothing on Cathy. But we also have Danny, Eddie and Gray who all lead fairly interesting lives and bring more suspense to the story.

Comparing the dark and good sides to both(SPOILERS!!)

Ib features multiple endings, most of which are fairly macabre. Garry with his mind broken and Ib refusing to leave his side.

Ib being tricked by an illusion of a loved one (it can be Garry, Mary, or her Mother depending on which route you went) and failing to leave the fabricated world behind. In the ending with Ib’s mother Garry is even on the other side in the art gallery desperately yelling for Ib to take his hand before it’s too late.

Then there’s…Mary as a painting. Because she’s a liar. A popular theory is that she is the one that drew them into this world because she can only because she can only leave if she takes someone’s place. So she brought two people into the world, one to replace and the other to integrate herself into their life. Ib was to be her sister and Garry the sacrifice. Mary is…Mary is a character that a lot of people sympathize with her because “she just wanted to be real and to be free”. Nope screw that noise, that little blond psychopath tortured one of them to death and there is literally no justifying that course of action.

On the other side, we have Angels of Death.

Now, the story was a bit more in-depth, mostly because we had so many other characters to delve into their backstory. Ib kept us guessing and we have a lot more headcanons and fan theories. Angels of Death actually gave us some truth. Yes, there was the plot twist that Rachel actually was a resident of the building but we LEARNED this and didn’t have to guess.

The story gets dark when we learn that she witness her Father killing her Mother and the horrible conditions that Zack was raised in. It’s no surprise really that either one of them became as they did. Both became outcasts of society and treated like tools.

Who Wins?

In my mind, there’s no question that Angels of Death beats Ib anyday. The fact that it became so popular to gain a manga and then an anime whereas Ib is still just an RPG is just exhibit A. Do you agree? Have you played either of these games or watched the Angels of Death anime? Let me know in the comments below!

Gloria Harvley (MyAnime2Go) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.